


Papillon

by Kawaii_strawberry



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Chickens, Depression, Developing Relationship, F/M, Pepper Poppers, Romantic Fluff, Shane POV, Suicidal Thoughts, rated M for that one heart event with Shane, that one, the shane starter kit, ya know, ya know the one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:40:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22857139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaii_strawberry/pseuds/Kawaii_strawberry
Summary: "There she was again, that new farmer girl from next door. Shane didn’t know what to make of her still. She had taken over the old man’s farm not too long ago and she seemed to be everywhere he went since then. It was like he couldn’t escape her. He wondered if she came here so often just to annoy him."AKA a quick oneshot about Shane and unnamed female farmer over the first year and a half at the farm. Shane goes from annoyed with this farmer to thinking okay I guess she's kinda cute to oh shit I'm in love with this person.
Relationships: Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 76





	Papillon

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of new to Stardew Valley but I love Shane so much. I haven't gotten through all of his support convos yet and I didn't want to spoil myself for them so who knows maybe I'll add to this someday when I see more of them? For now this is just a one shot though!
> 
> The title from this fic comes from the Airborne Toxic Event song "Papillon" which I feel has big Shane Energy

There she was again, that new farmer girl from next door. Shane didn’t know what to make of her still. She had taken over the old man’s farm not too long ago and she seemed to be everywhere he went since then. It was like he couldn’t escape her. 

The first time he saw her at the Stardrop Saloon he figured she was just there to meet everyone. It was the end of a nice spring day, and it was a Friday night after all. A lot of people always gathered here on Friday nights.. He remembered peeking over the rim of the beer he had been drinking and catching her eye. He swallowed the alcohol and rolled his eyes, turning away, but not before he saw the way she looked away nervously and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. From then on she would become a regular, though she didn’t actually drink much herself. He wondered if she came here so often just to annoy him. 

When she started coming to Marnie’s in the summer, he figured it must have just been because her farm was growing. Any good farm should have a chicken coop after all, and Marnie’s was the best supplier for that kind of stuff in Pelican Town. But how many chickens could this girl have? It must have been a lot with the amount of time she spent around the store. He thought of the times he left his room, only to walk into her looking over a bag of animal feed. It looked like she smiled at him, but it must have been his mind playing tricks on him. Why would a girl like  _ her  _ look at him like _ that _ . “What do you want? Leave me alone.” he told her. As soon as the words left his lips Shane was reminded how much he hated himself. All this girl had done was be kind, why did he have to push everyone away like that? But it’s not like he could have let her in either.

Then there was the time he saw her at Joja Mart. Shane almost had to contain his shock seeing her peruse the aisles of cheap Joja goods. She had always been such a big supporter of Pelican Town’s local small businesses, so why was she here? But there she was at his work, putting back the item she was looking at and showing that sweet smile to him again. Was she… here for him? Shane would never admit it, but he knew she saw the blush grow on his face no matter how hard he tried to hide it. After his shift he stepped out into the crisp fall air, the end of another long terrible day, another night spent in the bar. Still he couldn’t help himself from wondering if the smiling farm girl would be there tonight. 

Soon enough fall leaves were replaced by winter snow. Another year was passing doing the same old boring shit. Stocking those horrid shelves, nights spent drinking his life away, being a terrible person and a failure to everyone around him. Still in the darkness there was something different. In this dead of winter, there was a bright light that kept annoying him. He was confused watching the farm girl actually order a beer for once. He thought she didn’t like that kind of thing, actually now that he thought about it he couldn’t actually remember her  _ ever _ getting a beer before. But as he tried to figure it out, the girl got closer and gave it to him. “How’d you know this is my favorite?” he teased her. Of course after spending a year staring at each other from across the bar she’d pick that little fact up. That night he would share a drink with her by the pond. He felt they got a lot closer that night.

The girl’s kindness continued into the next spring. He still didn’t know why. Why was she so kind to him? He guessed she was just this way with everyone, he was a fool for thinking he was special in any way. Still, on the twentieth of the month she met him with a plate of fresh pepper poppers. His favorite meal. She said that she had learned how to make them just for him, for his birthday, that she didn’t even  _ like _ peppers. “Oh, is it my birthday today? I guess it is. Thanks…” He got out through his own surprise. “This is nice.” He admitted to her. What did he mean by that? The present? Her thoughtfulness? Someone out there giving any semblance of a fuck about him besides his own family? Was it just her in general? Spending time with her, talking with her more? It was all of that, he supposed. 

Still, Shane somehow felt consumed with guilt at the thoughts. It wasn’t long after that when she found him. Pathetic weak him. Laying face down by the edge of the cliff wondering if he should end it all. For the past year she felt like the one bright light to pull him out of the drowning darkness that was his life, and once again she pulled him out of one of the lowest places he had ever been. Most of that moment felt like a sick woozy haze, but he remembered her. He remembered her saying that she was there for him. He remembered her taking him to the hospital through the rain. When he finally got the courage to thank her for what she did that night, she told him that she was happy he was still there. It felt scary and confusing for someone to be so annoyingly  _ kind _ , so sweet and caring, and for what? Him? But with help from her, Marnie, and Harvey he started getting help so he would stop thinking like that. 

The first time Shane really saw her farm was in the summer. She had invited him over and he was trying to be more accepting of others so he decided to actually go. It even surprised himself. It was actually really nice, her large spacious coop and fenced off field was a heaven for her chickens. He even laughed with her when he found out she had named all of the chickens after the townsfolk, one even named after him. He didn’t know if he was making things up, but the Shane chicken seemed to really like her, like she maybe spent more time with that one. It was just a chicken, it couldn’t mean that much. Still, it made him feel a sort of warmth inside that he knew wasn’t from the summer sun. After the coop she brought him to the barn where her cows and goats were housed, and then to the fields of gardens filled with produce and flowers. It wouldn’t be so bad to spend more time in a place like this he thought. In fact, he would like to spend time here, with her, much more. He realized the idea of a future didn’t seem so far off after all.


End file.
